Sarah Mills Rottgers

Please contact your State Senator to support Senate Bill 806! SB 806, sponsored by Senator Crawford (R-Dallas), modifies provisions relating to the appointing of a Public Administrator as guardian. SB 806 prioritizes family members as guardians and requires that a Public Administrator receive notification when they are being considered for appointment, along with accompanying exhibits, hearing details and an opportunity to be heard.

SB 806 was unanimously voted out of the Senate Committee on Children and Families last month, and is currently sitting on the Senate Calendar until it is taken up and considered by the entire Senate.

Hearts of Valor supports caregivers by offering free services, including retreats and support groups, to improve the lives of the people who are caring for wounded warriors. To join, a member must meet the following criteria:

Be a caregiver of a wounded, ill or injured service member.

The service members wound, illness or injury occurred after 9/11/2001.

The caregiver has supporting documents of the wound and/or injury.

The service member is a wounded, ill, or injured service member of any status (e.g., active, reserve, guard, or retired) and of any branch of military service.

​The Public Administrator’s office was previously in possession of 10 veteran burial flags. The veterans that had passed away were wards of Clay County, and there was no family at the funeral to accept the flags. The Public Administrator’s office accepted the flags.

I researched and found out that the flags could be donated to a National Veterans Cemetery. We are better honoring our veterans by donating all 10 burial flags to the National Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri. The flags will be honored and flown on holidays, instead of collecting dust in our office.

Last month, I attended a very interesting (and free) presentation from Dr. Rizzo of the USC Institute for Creative Technologies at iWerx Co-working Office Space and Entrepreneurial Development Center in North Kansas City. Dr. Rizzo explained how virtual reality headsets and computer programs can be used as a tool for mental health wellness and physical rehabilitation. He first started utilizing this technology with veterans who suffered from PTSD.

Click the link below to check out some of Dr. Rizzo’s interesting projects.

Click the link below for information on iWerx. iWerx has many free events and informational resources. If you are interested in virtual reality and healthcare, make sure to talk to iWerx about local businesses that are developing this technology.